Other relevant bodies in the United Nations system 73 UNICEF and minorities Because UNICEF is a human rights-based organization, its involvement in the promotion and protection of the rights of minority children and women is not a choice but an obligation. Its mission statement provides that “UNICEF is non-partisan and its cooperation is free of discrimination. In everything it does, the most disadvantaged children and the countries in greatest need have priority”. Given that minority children are often the most disadvantaged in the societies in which they live, this founding principle offers a sound basis for the agency’s engagement in minority issues. With a wide network of offices in both the developing and industrialized worlds, UNICEF is in a unique position to encourage the introduction of minority issues into public policy agendas and thus to make a difference in the lives of minority children and women. In the most disadvantaged regions and countries, UNICEF is capable not only of influencing policies but also of supporting Governments’ efforts and directly delivering assistance to minority children and women. The work of UNICEF The agency’s medium-term strategic plan covering the period 2006-2013 is entitled Investing in Children: The UNICEF Contribution to Poverty Reduction and the Millennium Summit Agenda. It covers five focus areas: young child survival and development; basic education and gender equality; children and HIV/AIDS; child protection from violence, exploitation and abuse; and policy advocacy and partnerships for children’s rights. In each of these focus areas UNICEF works to secure minority rights. Young child survival and development This focus area covers UNICEF activities related to, for example, immunization services and prevention and control of malaria, diarrhoea and pneumonia; eradication of polio and guinea worm disease; care of pregnant women and newborn babies; food fortification; improvement of family and community care practices for young children; and access to water and sanitation, including in emergency situations. Most commonly, work regarding minorities relates to capacitybuilding for improved family care practices, for example, by improving minority participation in health projects, particularly through social workers or health mediators. UNICEF Romania works with its partners to strengthen the network of social workers, community nurses and Roma health mediators to increase the accessibility and quality of community-level health and social services, mainly for vulnerable groups. Basic education and gender equality Within this focus area UNICEF seeks to implement the right to education of every boy and girl, as stipulated under the Convention (arts. 28 and 29). It also contributes to the achievement of two of the Millennium Development Goals, the achievement of universal primary education, and the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. Most commonly, working for minorities in this area involves improving educational quality and increasing school retention, completion and achievement rates, and improving children’s developmental readiness to start primary school on time. Particular focus has been given to marginalized children in Thailand, where Muslim minority children affected by conflict benefited from the training of Islamic teachers through the Child-Friendly School quality standards approach. In the conflict-affected Northern Province of Sri Lanka, the primary home of the Tamil minority, education officers were trained in emergency preparedness and response planning. They carried out rapid assessments and reopened schools near areas with internally displaced children to ensure minimal disruption to education. In addition, 1,260 teachers and principals from more than 300 schools were trained in developing school-level plans.